OK, I know this is a car site but there have been some past threads discussing what kind of handguns some of us prefer. I ask that you do not reply to this thread, or if you do then DO NOT make a political statement. The thread will be closed if people start flaming each other.

The EPA is taking comments on the idea of banning lead shot, bullets and fishing sinkers. I had heard about this and it took me a while to find the correct web site, but the proposed regulation is called: EPA-HQ-OPPT-2010-0681-0002

OR go to this site and click on the pdf file for the complete document:

http://www.regulations.gov/search/Re...OPPT-2010-0681

I'm just sharing this so that anybody, people who support or disagree with this proposed regulation will have the chance to comment on it. That's the process, the EPA is accepting public comments at this time and will make a ruling on this that may be influenced by the public comments it gets.

 

The evil lead....
I was wondering in the back of my mind when this was going to happen.
I am curious to know what the replacement materials would be. Maybe steel for shot, but how about fishing sinkers? They would need to be cheap, small, durable, and rust resistant.
I will need to scan through that 100 page document to see if they say...

 

Maybe some sort of vial of mercury for sinkers,that stuff is heavy! A lot of places have had the lead ban for a while,I think most Federal hunting reserves. There is a new type of sinker,don't know what it is made of.The main problem with the EPA rule is the lead in bullets,makes it hard for reloaders and folks that have the old type ammo.Some are hard to find,and will not be replaced with new material by ammo makers,because of low demand for a particular caliber. See,I kept it nice! ---bil

 

I've also heard about this. I'm sure if it passes then ammo manufacturers will provide steel shot or other materials for ammo that is used while hunting.

 

"If they can't use lead, let them use gold."

It's heavy and won't corrode, you would have to keep an eye on your wheel weights though.

 

I have always wondered if game shot with lead shot is safe to eat. I saw some 12ga shells the other day that were loaded with steel shot.

We don't need anything else to worry about around here.

People here in dallas worry if they can keep their copper A/C condenser coils outside their house, church, or business...
Copper wiring is pulled right out of streetlights and out of the ground, too.

 

Our PM is banning toys from China because of lead in the paint. He just found out that there's lead in pencils too, so they're gone!

 

Is this all that new? Lead shot is already banned nationally for hunting waterfowl, I thought.

Lead IS toxic, and I can wrap myself around the ide of banning lead sinkers in lakes, though I have doubts as to the amount of damage your average fisherman, or thousands of them, could possibly do in the ocean for example.

I wonder about the amount of lead at my local indoor shooting range, and implications of exposure when re-loading. I'd be willing to consider alternatives, provided they were not prohbitively expensive. Though after recently buying some .45 ACP target rounds, the term "prohibitively expensive" is a relative term.

My problem with this is the usual one: the average sportsman is going to be held to the highest standards of ecological "well-being" , when the REAL polluters have lobbyists, and get away with murder, figuratively (and literally) speaking (oh yeah, throw in ridiculous catch/size limits (don't forget the fishing industry lobbyists), an the whole effort of fishing for example is often hardly worth it).

Its the same thing with recycling oil, leaking residential oil tanks, etc etc...Joe Schmoe better not spill a DROP, even though the damage done would pale in comparison to what the big corporate polluters have done and continue to do.

By the way, guess where current EPA head Lisa Jackson cames from...yup, she was the EPA Commisioner here in NJ.

 

Lead is illegal for waterfowl. It's ok for upland birds, doves, squirrel, deer, hogs, cats (just kidding). Waterfowl loads are steel or some form of it (tungsten, bismuth, and a few other fancy words) which is much slower, less energy, less knockdown which means more cripple birds. It's also much more expensive than the traditional lead.

As for rifle and pistol loads, they are almost all lead or lead cores (jacketed). I'm sure there are some steel alternatives which will have the same problems as the steel shot. I bet law enforcement and the military will still have access to lead.

I'm all for protecting the environment for our kids and our kids/kids. (That's why I drive a "72 Cutlass and several other non emission controlled types). But, I think it's ridiculous to go after the little guy when the big guys are out there impacting the environment 1000 fold over what a few shooters and fishermen are putting out there.

Now, I said that without even getting on my soap box...

 

Old che#y and fo#d pistons for sinkers.

Steel shot has been around here for a long time. some did gripe about the flight differences of the two. Now everybody is used to the steel and I don't here as much about it. I think the big thing was steel doesn't fly as far with killing power, a problem when trying to knock down a canada goose.

Larry

 

Steel shot sucketh.

And it fouls the chrome bores of my Belgium Browning O/U.

When I was a pup, I worked at a skeet range that had the city water reservoir as a back drop.

 

Just curious. Would the armed forces have to go to steel bullets too?

 

No.

The EPA does not care WHAT falls in Zambia!

--Don

 

Gold is MUCH heavier which would make my 6-shot pump-gun 2 pounds heavier!

--Don

 

Here ya go.

Maybe there are some folks with some sense in the EPA.

I'm sure it's not the end though...


http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/outp...ition-ban.html